Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Kigali, Kinshasa agree to border verification mechanism

    NAIROBI

    The governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have agreed to a joint mechanism to address border security issues, UN News reported on Wednesday.

    Quoting a statement issued by a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, UN News said Annan believed the technical body, to be known as the Joint Verification Mechanism (JVM), would be "an effective instrument of confidence building".

    The DRC-Rwanda verification mechanism would be launched in October. It was first discussed in June at a summit convened by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo that was attended by Presidents Paul Kagame, of Rwanda, and Joseph Kabila, of the DRC.

    The JVM will be comprised of experts from the governments of the two countries, as well as the UN and the African Union, UN News reported.

    UN News stated that in his latest report on the DRC, Annan said a regional-support group composed of African personalities "could be envisaged to increase confidence building – at the political level - between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbors".

    Annan's announcement on Wednesday followed a working lunch he hosted in New York for Kabila and Rwandan Prime Minister Bernard Makuza, as well as members of the regional support group.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join